DARTMOUTH — An attempt to curb the suicide rate at the Bristol County House of Corrections has apparently sparked what officials there are calling "an incident" Friday that is still ongoing.

"The Bristol County Sheriff’s Office is taking steps to make the facility more suicide-resistant. Part of this process is moving inmates to different housing units. Friday morning, some inmates in one of the housing units did not want to move, leading to the current incident," said Bristol County House of Corrections spokesman Jonathan Darling in a press release this afternoon.

As of 2:24 p.m. Friday the "incident" appeared to be still ongoing. Darling told a group of media gathered there that all staff have been accounted for and they have no reason to believe inmates are holding other inmates hostage. He said it is not facility-wide.

As of 3:19 p.m., the Hampden County Sheriff's Office is now on scene with three vehicles and the Barnstable County Sheriff's Office is also reportedly there. A substantial number of Corrections personnel are standing outside the building.

There is no word on injuries or number of inmates involved. There are currently 600 inmates at the prison. In the last 45 minutes, about 25 to 30 vehicles have arrived including three inmate's buses and sheriffs from Suffolk and Plymouth counties with some K-9 units.

What a report shows: All 7 inmate suicides at Bristol County House of Correction since 2017 involved bunk beds

What early video from the Dartmouth jail shows

Video from WCVB Sky5 showed windows inside the minimum-security prison blocked by cardboard boxes and sheets.

At one point, a person sprayed a fire extinguisher out of one of the windows as several officers were gathering outside the building, according to WCVB reports.

Bristol County corrections facilities: Bristol County Sheriff's Office hires a jail suicide-prevention expert for a study

A person also tossed what appeared to be a security camera and a damaged phone out of the same window, WCVB reports.

What to know about the Bristol County Correction Facility on Faunce Corner Road

The 1,100-bed facility on Faunce Corner Road houses male inmates convicted of crimes with a sentence of 2 ½ years or less, higher security female inmates or pretrial detainees and higher security male pretrial detainees.

The facility has several decentralized housing units with varying levels of security, according to the Bristol County Sheriff's Office website.

From December 2022: Bristol County Sheriff-elect Paul Heroux preparing for 'day one' and he wants to 'get things done'

What we know about the 7 suicides at Bristol County House of Corrections

There have been seven suicides at the Dartmouth jail since 2017, and they have all involved the metal bunk beds. That was among the findings in the 64-page report produced by Lindsay M. Hayes, a nationally recognized expert on suicide prevention in jails and prisons after a three-day on-site review in March.

Bristol County Sheriff Paul Heroux unveiled the report on April 13 along with the prototype of a refitted metal bunk bed that eliminates choking points. They refitted the bunk bed in house, and will be able to continue that practice and save money, he said.

More: All 7 inmate suicides at Bristol County House of Correction since 2017 involved bunk beds

Bristol County correction's suicide rate is three times higher than the national average. Heroux said the recommendations, which "are realistic and achievable," will be attained.

While it cannot eliminate the possibility of inmate suicide, following the recommendations will put the Bristol County lockups on par with other jails, he said.

Paul Heroux: Meet the man who replaced Thomas Hodgson as Bristol County Sheriff

Paul Heroux is the new Bristol County sheriff.

Heroux took over the office on Jan. 4 after winning November’s election against 25-year incumbent Thomas Hodgson. 

Heroux was the mayor of Attleboro, when he was elected to this new role.

From 2006 to 2008 Heroux worked in the Philadelphia prison system as assistant to Commissioner Leon A King. From 2008 to 2009, he worked for the Mass. Dept. of Correction as director of research and planning as a gubernatorial appointee under the Patrick Administration.

Election results: Heroux prevails in tight race over Hodgson for Bristol County sheriff

He was also a state representative for the 2nd Bristol District from 2013 to January 2018, before his inauguration as mayor.

With WCVB reports

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Incident at Bristol County House of Corrections in Dartmouth: Live